Chez may be closed for the next couple of weeks but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t fix himself some mighty fine ‘eats’… and this recipe fits the bill to a tee. Not your grand dad’s Mac & Cheese, this one carries with it a level of sophistication that makes it a show stopper.
- Chez
Ingredients- 6 strips thick-sliced bacon
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups elbow macaroni
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
- 6 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
- 4 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
- ½ cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted melted butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! (Reserve 3 tablespoons of this grease!)Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.Drizzle bacon grease into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes.Drain well.Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add all the Gruyere, half of the Cheddar, half of the blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni, basil and crumbled bacon and fold gently. Pour 1/3 into lightly greased gratin dish. Layer with ½ of the remaining blue and Cheddar cheese. Add another 1/3 of the mixture into a gratin. Layer with remaining blue and Cheddar cheese and add the remaining noodle mixture. Sprinkle Panko over the top of the pasta and drizzle remaining melted butter over the top.Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes and serve.
